Bible Strands
Leviticus 6:3
or finds lost property and lies about it and swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that a man might commit—
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Moses and the Israelite community through Leviticus 6, detailing restitution procedures for specific covenant violations. The passage functions as a legal continuation of the preceding statute on deceptive financial practices.
The words — The text highlights מָצָא (ma.Tza') = he has found and כִּחֵשׁ (chi.chesh) = he will deny or lie. These terms define the precise moment a finder transitions from accidental discovery to deliberate deception.
The thread — This prohibition against false oaths over lost property intersects with Exodus 23:4, which commands the return of stray animals, and Leviticus 19:12, which forbids swearing falsely by God’s name. It also aligns with Exodus 22:9 regarding legal claims over lost or claimed items.
Why it lands — The text requires immediate restitution and truthful acknowledgment when encountering another’s loss. It establishes that concealing found property and swearing falsely constitutes a direct breach of covenant trust.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:
Cross-references
- Exodus 23:4 If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
- Leviticus 19:12 You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
- Exodus 22:9 In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any lost item that someone claims, ‘This is mine,’ both parties shall bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges find guilty must pay back double to his neighbor.
- Deuteronomy 22:1 If you see your brother’s ox or sheep straying, you must not ignore it; be sure to return it to your brother.
- Proverbs 30:9 Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.
- Jeremiah 5:2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”
- Jeremiah 7:9 Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known,
- Zechariah 5:4 I will send it out, declares the LORD of Hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by My name. It will remain inside his house and destroy it, down to its timbers and stones.”
- Malachi 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.